NYT Connections Hints, Answers & Clues -
NYT Connections #1125 Tip
One word appears four times — hiding in plain sight each time.
What Makes NYT Connections #1125 Tricky?
DEPECHE MODE, AIRPLANE MODE, À LA MODE, and SAFE MODE all share the same word — and that is exactly the trap, because each one belongs to a completely different group.
The editor is exploiting a single repeated word to make you chase a false theme: every time you see MODE, your brain wants to cluster those entries together, but MODE is the decoy, not the connection.
This is a hard Friday puzzle — one group is satisfying the moment you spot it, but the other three require you to actively ignore the word MODE and look at what surrounds it instead.
Connections Hints for Every Word in the July 10, 2026 Puzzle
OUTKAST
Connections hint for OUTKAST
The Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast — but here the puzzle uses it because it starts with a specific baseball call, not because of the music.
DEPECHE MODE
Connections hint for DEPECHE MODE
The British synth-pop band formed in 1980 — the word MODE in their name is a coincidence the puzzle is exploiting.
FRESH-BAKED
Connections hint for FRESH-BAKED
A classic dessert menu phrase promising something just out of the oven — warm, aromatic, and reassuringly homemade.
BALL GOWN
Connections hint for BALL GOWN
A formal floor-length dress — but it starts with BALL, which is a baseball call, and that is what matters here.
DO NOT DISTURB
Connections hint for DO NOT DISTURB
The smartphone setting that silences calls and notifications — a genuine phone feature, not a hotel door sign in this context.
À LA MODE
Connections hint for À LA MODE
French for 'in the fashion' — on a dessert menu it means served with a scoop of ice cream, and it contains MODE as a decoy.
STRIKE A POSE
Connections hint for STRIKE A POSE
Madonna's lyric from Vogue — but it starts with STRIKE, a baseball call, which is the connection the puzzle uses.
AIRPLANE MODE
Connections hint for AIRPLANE MODE
The smartphone setting that cuts all wireless signals for flying — contains MODE as a deliberate decoy.
ERASURE
Connections hint for ERASURE
The British synth-pop duo known for Always and A Little Respect — not here for any meaning related to erasing.
SAFE MODE
Connections hint for SAFE MODE
Starts with SAFE, a baseball call — the tech meaning (a stripped-down boot state) is the decoy, not the connection.
DECADENT
Connections hint for DECADENT
A dessert menu word promising rich, indulgent, over-the-top sweetness — chocolate lava cake territory.
NEW ORDER
Connections hint for NEW ORDER
The Manchester post-punk synth band behind Blue Monday — not here for any administrative or tech meaning.
HOTSPOT
Connections hint for HOTSPOT
The smartphone setting that shares your mobile data as a Wi-Fi network — a genuine phone feature.
PET SHOP BOYS
Connections hint for PET SHOP BOYS
The British synth-pop duo Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe — West End Girls, It's a Sin.
MOLTEN
Connections hint for MOLTEN
A dessert menu word for a lava cake with liquid chocolate inside — promises a warm, flowing centre.
LOCATION SERVICES
Connections hint for LOCATION SERVICES
The smartphone setting that lets apps access your GPS position — a genuine phone feature.
Traps & Misdirects Hints for NYT Connections Puzzle (#1125)
All four entries contain the word MODE, and grouping them together feels almost inevitable — MODE is right there, repeated four times. That grouping does not exist in this puzzle. Each MODE entry belongs to a different category, and MODE itself is the red herring the editor planted to derail you.
NEW ORDER sounds like a system command, DO NOT DISTURB is a phone setting, and SAFE MODE is what you boot a computer into — they all carry a tech or administrative feel. Only one of these three is actually a smartphone setting. The other two belong to completely different groups.
OUTKAST and ERASURE both sound like they could describe something being deleted, removed, or rejected — a thematic pair around exclusion or wiping out. That reading is wrong for both words. Neither is here for its literal meaning; both are proper names used in a different context entirely.
Connections Hints for July 10, 2026
Yellow Connections Hints
Yellow Category Hint
Features you toggle in your phone's settings menu
Think: Think: swipe down, toggle switches
Yellow Category Name
SMARTPHONE SETTINGS
Yellow Category Words
Reveal word 1
AIRPLANE MODEReveal word 2
DO NOT DISTURBReveal word 3
HOTSPOTReveal word 4
LOCATION SERVICESGreen Connections Hints
Green Category Hint
Words a restaurant uses to make desserts sound irresistible
Think: Think: dessert menu, pastry chef copy
Green Category Name
DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS
Green Category Words
Reveal word 1
DECADENTReveal word 2
FRESH-BAKEDReveal word 3
MOLTENReveal word 4
À LA MODEBlue Connections Hints
Blue Category Hint
British keyboard-and-synthesiser acts from the 1980s
Think: Think: synths, shoulder pads, UK charts
Blue Category Name
'80S SYNTH-POP BANDS
Blue Category Words
Reveal word 1
DEPECHE MODEReveal word 2
ERASUREReveal word 3
NEW ORDERReveal word 4
PET SHOP BOYSPurple Connections Hints
Purple Category Hint
Each phrase opens with one of three specific umpire calls
Think: Think: diamond, umpire, three calls
Purple Category Name
STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS
Purple Category Words
Reveal word 1
BALL GOWNReveal word 2
OUTKASTReveal word 3
SAFE MODEReveal word 4
STRIKE A POSENYT Connections Answers for July 10, 2026
NYT Connections Answers Explained: July 10, 2026
SMARTPHONE SETTINGS
AIRPLANE MODE, DO NOT DISTURB, HOTSPOT, and LOCATION SERVICES are all features you find in a smartphone's settings panel — each one a toggle or service you switch on or off.
- AIRPLANE MODE
- Cuts all wireless transmissions — Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth — so your phone complies with airline rules. The word MODE here is a decoy for the false MODE cluster.
- DO NOT DISTURB
- Silences incoming calls, alerts, and notifications on a schedule or on demand — a core smartphone setting.
- HOTSPOT
- Turns your phone into a portable Wi-Fi router, sharing your mobile data connection with other devices.
- LOCATION SERVICES
- The setting that controls whether apps can access your phone's GPS and location data — toggle it off for privacy.
DESSERT MENU DESCRIPTORS
DECADENT, FRESH-BAKED, MOLTEN, and À LA MODE are all words or phrases you find on a restaurant dessert menu, chosen to make the sweets sound as tempting as possible.
- DECADENT
- Menu-speak for sinfully rich and indulgent — usually applied to dense chocolate desserts.
- FRESH-BAKED
- Promises the item just came out of the oven — warmth and freshness as a selling point.
- MOLTEN
- Describes a lava cake or similar dessert with a liquid, flowing centre — the chocolate is still melted inside.
- À LA MODE
- French phrase meaning 'in the fashion' — on an American dessert menu it specifically means served with a scoop of ice cream. The word MODE is the planted decoy.
'80S SYNTH-POP BANDS
DEPECHE MODE, ERASURE, NEW ORDER, and PET SHOP BOYS are all British synth-pop acts who rose to prominence in the 1980s, defined by synthesisers, drum machines, and electronic production.
- DEPECHE MODE
- Formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980 — Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence. The word MODE in their name is the puzzle's central decoy.
- ERASURE
- The duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, known for A Little Respect and Always — Clarke had previously been in Depeche Mode and Yazoo.
- NEW ORDER
- Manchester band formed from the ashes of Joy Division after Ian Curtis died — Blue Monday is one of the best-selling 12-inch singles ever.
- PET SHOP BOYS
- Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, the London duo behind West End Girls and It's a Sin — one of the most commercially successful synth-pop acts of the era.
STARTING WITH BASEBALL CALLS
BALL GOWN, OUTKAST, SAFE MODE, and STRIKE A POSE each begin with one of the three calls an umpire makes in baseball — BALL, OUT, SAFE, and STRIKE — with the rest of the phrase being something completely unrelated to baseball.
- BALL GOWN
- Starts with BALL — a baseball call for a pitch outside the strike zone. A ball gown is a formal floor-length dress; the baseball connection is purely the opening word.
- OUTKAST
- Starts with OUT — a baseball call for a retired batter or baserunner. OutKast is the Atlanta hip-hop duo André 3000 and Big Boi; the spelling with a K is theirs.
- SAFE MODE
- Starts with SAFE — a baseball call meaning the runner reached base without being tagged out. Safe mode is also a computer boot state, but that meaning is the decoy here.
- STRIKE A POSE
- Starts with STRIKE — a baseball call for a pitch in the zone or a swing and miss. Strike a pose is the opening lyric of Madonna's 1990 song Vogue.
